Kaida's hand shot out, grabbing Gareth through his collar like he was a sack of grain. Her other hand snatched another man—a burly fellow who'd been trying to crawl away.
Both of them.
Eighty, ninety kilograms of grown men lifted like they weighed nothing, one in each hand, dangling off the ground.
"I need one copper from your shares," Kaida said flatly, already walking toward the manor entrance. "Do you get it?"
'!'
Silence crashed down like a physical weight.
Everyone was shocked, minds scrambling to process what she'd just said. Money? They were going to get *money* for their herbs as per lord's promise and maybe more work as per what they heard from Sir Gareth?
But after paying 2 copper out of 10, did they also need to pay this woman her share?
As she reached the manor's entrance, one of them—a bald man with a scar running down his neck who seemed to have let his fear calm enough to find his voice—asked, "Why would I pay you—"
Kaida stopped.
